Sales Professional

Menu

Category Archives: Successful Career

It’s no secret that owning a boat can be costly. One mistake often made is that people assume they can simply buy the boat and have their fun, then they feel blindsided by all of the extra costs. While some costs can’t really be avoided, it is good to be aware of a few simple tips to help reduce the overall annual cost of owning a boat. Take it from William Gholson, a long-time boat supply salesman, who knows all too well that many repairs come from not taking the initial time to take care of your boat.

First of all, wash it. You wash your car, clean your house, scrub your body, so wash your boat when you pull it out of the water. Getting all that grime off it can do wonders for your boat. Saltwater is especially corrosive, so spray that outboard off each time you get out.

Second, make sure lines are securely fastened when docking and storing your boat. If docked, throw a few buoys off the side to prevent damage from the dock. Check lines and covers to be sure there is no excess wear.

Lastly, invest in quality products. The upfront cost may be a bit higher, but some things shouldn’t be cheap. Pre-owned boats will always require more maintenance, but when maintained properly, they can be just fine.

There is plenty of good advice and great products out there for preventative maintenance. As long as you invest a little time and aren’t afraid to spend a little more up front, you’ll be on the right track. There will always be issues with a boat, but hopefully you can avoid a few trips to William Gholson’s Marine Supply!

For those that know him, it is no secret that William T. Gholson is extremely passionate about a few specific things: his family, boating, racing, and Halloween. There is something about Halloween that gets him acting like a kid again. It isn’t just the costumes or the tricks and treats; it is the history.

San Antonio has a lot to offer for those with spooky tendencies come fall. There are haunted houses, festivals, themed family events at the botanical gardens and Sea World, shows, and mazes, but a lot of these can be found all over the country. The best area-specific activity is ghost tours.

Though it is a modern city in many ways, San Antonio has deep history – the Alamo is only one well-known part. Ghost tours, however, take you through cemeteries, hotels, hanging trees, and various other locations that have a dark and deadly history in one of the most haunted cities in the country. Some locations are the sites of legends, while others are steeped in historical fact…and uneasy spirits.

Feeling this unique connection to the history of his city, William Gholson got hooked on Halloween and ghost tours at a young age. He wanted to learn as much about his hometown as possible, and this was a visceral, chilling way to do so. Gholson actually met his wife on one of these tours (she was the guide), and they have raised their two daughters to have a curious appreciation for the past. Who says history can only be learned from books?

William Gholson deals with auto parts in the San Antonio area. As an expert mechanic, he has an eye for good deals involving rare car parts. The story usually goes something like this: someone has a car problem that requires replacing a part in their vehicle, they call a dealership, only to be told a ridiculous price that leaves them gasping.

Some parts carry a 5000% profit margin, which is obviously ridiculous. Now granted that we are talking about rare parts in this example, profit margins in the high hundreds are common place across the board, which means that you could still end up paying five, six or seven times more than the true value of that part.

Do Your Research and Always Verify

Googling prices and dealerships on the Internet is what research looks like these days, and for good reasons. If something is available, somewhere, anywhere, there is a very high probability for you to find it on the Internet. Verification is crucial – always make sure to check the part’s number before completing the purchase.

A Little Bit of Haggling is Okay

Haggle a bit, whenever there is an opportunity, but stay polite throughout the process. Junkyards are usually willing to match the prices of other local businesses. Never lie, however, as they can easily verify that on the Internet.

Be Very Careful About Rare Parts

If you find something online that could be a really rare part, always check it out in person.

William Gholson often buys rare car parts online and in the local auto part dealer communities.

As William Gholson often tells his customers, not all cars were created equal, and some of them were simply not built for winter. People often ask him how to store their car properly during the coldest months, and he usually gives them the same advice.

Clean It First

The first phase of the storing process should always be cleaning. If the car is wet and dirty, covering it wouldn’t do any good. A good hand wash and some proper waxing should take care of that problem.

Treat the Unpainted Parts

If there are areas on the car’s body that are no longer covered by paint, make sure to take care of those as well. These spots tend to rust much easier, and since the covers would just lock the moisture inside, that process would speed up even more. First spray these spots with some rubberized undercoating, then finish it up with a protective layer. Make sure that you don’t use any of this stuff near the exhaust, as they are highly flammable.

Use Fuel Stabilization

Most fuels have a shelf life of three months, which means that by the time your car returns from its temporary retirement, your fuel could have already reached the point of no return.

Cover Your Car

If your car can stay inside, preferably in a sheltered environment, a basic cover will do just fine. If, however, you want to store your car outside, you will also need a car jacket that can be zipped around your car, sealing it away from the elements. William Gholson always takes the process of storing his car for the winter very seriously.

As an expert mechanic and successful car parts dealer, William Gholson knows everything there is to know about cars. He often meets with clients who just bought theirs, and sometimes, mere days after the purchase has been completed, there is already something wrong with these vehicles. In the vast majority of these cases, these problems are not coincidental in their nature, but rather a mistake on the buyer’s part. Unfortunately, not every seller will be honest, as some of them will try to hide the true condition of the car. Never assume that a seller is telling you the truth – do your own research.

Level Ground

It is very important that the car is parked on level ground, so that you can easily check its tires. One of the tires or a rim could be faulty, and spotting that on an uneven ground is often much harder. An expert mechanic who does this for a living would likely be able to spot shenanigans like this, but for the untrained eye, they may easily go unnoticed. Regardless of the type of the car, an even ground makes it possible to spot these problems more easily.

Tires

The car should have matching tires in a similar condition. Check for signs of feathering. This happens when the tires are not aligned properly. If you see something like that, ask about them. Never be afraid to ask too many questions. It’s important to do so, because if there is an alignment problem, there could be a number of things causing that. The owner of the car likely knows the answer.

Always Check the Paint Job

Checking the paint thoroughly, all over the car, has more to do with functionality than aesthetics. A new paint job can be used to hide rust spots and dents, which could considerably lower the car’s price if discovered. Make sure to thoroughly check the car from all angles and from different distances. You can even take photos, as sometimes it is much easier to spot faulty characteristics on film.

Check the Trunk

The trunk is one of the most important elements of the car. Check for rust, as its presence likely means that water can find its way inside, which is far from ideal.

The Frame Is Extremely Important

As the main supporting structure of a car, the chassis is very important. Its condition can affect a vehicle’s price considerably, making it unusually high or unexpectedly low. The suspension, the panels, and the engine are all attached to the frame, making its quality level a primary concern. Think of it as the foundation of a house.

As an experienced auto salesman and expert mechanic, William Gholson wishes that people were as cautious about their vehicle purchase as they are about buying a house.

When you’re trying to sell items or services, it’s easy to fall into the “sales mode” trap. “Sales mode” implies that there is a different way of interacting with individuals when you’re trying to get them to buy something than when you’re interacting with them in a friendly, fun setting.

Speak to your customers as if they are your friends and family. Don’t try to use a different tone or a different set of vocabulary based on the fact that they’re in your store trying to buy something from you. Customers can smell a sales pitche and “sales mode” a mile away. They become resistant when they feel they are being sold to. Talk to them in a normal, appropriate manner so that they feel comfortable and understand that you are really trying to help them solve their problem, not sell them products to boost your numbers.

As in any normal interaction outside the shop, you want to pay attention to what the customer isn’t saying and how they’re speaking to you. Many sales people focus solely on their next line in their sales pitch that they forget there’s another person on the other side of the interaction.

William Gholson is an experienced salesman working for an auto parts store in San Antonio, Texas. He has worked with many people who need help fixing or maintaining their cars. An experienced mechanic in his own right, Gholson has the knowledge to help people in his community find the right part for their needs.

As a salesman, it’s your job to get your customers the products or services they need in the most convenient and quick manner possible. It’s not your job to convince them that they need your products or services. You may have the salesman skills to convince people to buy things from you or your store, but the vast majority of customers come to you in need of a specific item or items—at the very least, they have a problem they need you to solve for them.

The first step in making the sale is to listen. Obviously, you should introduce yourself and your company and explain the basics of what you can do for the customer, but you want to avoid going on a long pitch about all of your great products and services in the first minute of your sales interaction. Avoid reciting your sales pitch to your customer the moment they walk into the store. What could you possibly tell them that will solve their problems? You don’t even know what they are yet.

The next step is to sell with questions, not answers. Ask your customer plenty of questions so that you can understand what brought them into your store at this particular moment. Ask them questions with no ulterior motives or hidden agenda. Ask questions because you’re curious.

William Gholson has twenty years of experience working in sales. He works for an auto parts store in San Antonio, Texas, and works on his cars in his spare time.